With the latest Megaproject coming to the Palo Alto Council under Planned Community Zoning, resident must be ready to verify and quantify the proposed “Community Benefit” or we will end up with future growth that causes us to shake our heads and say “How did this happen?”
We all know about the Comprehensive Plan sincerely tried to present a Shared Community Vision around growth.

"Palo Alto's ticking time bomb" -- A Palo Alto Weekly News Story about City Pension Deficitshttp://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/story.php?story_id=17187
As you read the Palo Alto Weekly Story please ask yourself "Who was on the council prior to 2007 as the Pension and Infrastructure deficits mounted, and what actions did they take to correct it?"

Each of us has a vision of what Palo Alto should be like in the future. Although our visions are different, they share common qualities. We aspire to create a safe, beautiful City for children, our future generations, and ourselves. We envision a City with diverse housing opportunities, where the natural environment is protected, where excellent services are provided, and where citizens have a say in government. We aspire to create a City that is economically healthy and a good place to do business.

I am volunteering for a community service job. The Palo Alto City Council election is November 6.

No glamour -- just simple principals:

-- Responsible spending that makes room for repair of aging infrastructure. Built a future with sustainable financial balance.
-- Openness, transparency, and fairness in all council actions.
-- Curb abuses of zoning loopholes that do not honor the spirit of the City's Comprehensive Plan, causing congestion, and sidesteps funding of increased demand on infrastructure and schools.

The city's first council election since the switch has attracted the smallest pool of candidates in nearly two decades, with only eight local residents pulling nomination papers from the City Clerk's Office (two of the eight decided not to run: well-known environmentalist Bob Wenzlau and panhandler Victor Frost).

The race for four seats on the nine-member council also includes incumbents Pat Burt and Greg Schmid, former two-time mayor Liz Kniss and Marc Berman, an attorney who served last year on the city's Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Commission, financial consultant Timothy Gray and concert promoter Mark Weiss.

Even after the election is over, we can keep our focus on the deep love we all share for our City?

While the divisive topic of Labor Unions has captured our recent attention, let’s really focus on the end-game: that being a balanced financial future where there is room to:

support measures that that strengthen the emotional as well as the academic well-being of our youth,

find a way to fix our creeks before a flood delivers a tragedy,

revitalize our business district so that we restore a retail tax revenue base, and

find a High Speed Rail solution that does not blight our neighborhood.

I know we can unify around that better future. However we must make some sacrifices today, just as Union members are being asked to share in the pain of the current situation. This is not an anti-Union statement. It is simply a necessity of the times. My father, who retired from a Union job, impressed upon me the value that Unions play. As the first person in my family to graduate from college, my education was self-funded by a Summer Job with Teamsters Union wages.

We have great compassion and appreciation for the City workers who may only see a take-away. We have all had setbacks in the current environment. I know for myself, looking to the future through the lens of appreciation has been the most effective medicine while bridging to a balanced future.